IMG_2767 – We Love God!

Here are [five] important ingredients in listening to sermons: 1. Get sufficient rest before the message so that your mind is not so worn out that it cannot listen. 2. Pray continually, asking God to help you to understand and respond properly to His Word. 3. Make sure that you have everything needed (Bible, writing pad, pen, etc.). Sit where you can see and hear. Make sure personal needs are taken care of. 4. Motivate yourself. The responsibility for developing interest and understanding is primarily yours before God. Make conscious effort to be optimistic and interested from the beginning. Give the speaker your attention. If you don’t have a good, immediate reason for listening to a speaker, you probably won’t listen properly. 5. Be sure to read any assigned readings. A listener who has done his homework has better comprehension.

Curtis Thomas

Prayerful waiting on God is indispensable to effective service. Like the time-out in a football game, it enables us to catch our breath and fix new strategy. As we wait for directions, the Lord frees us from the tyranny of the urgent. He shows us the truth about Himself, ourselves, and our tasks. He impresses on our minds the assignments He want us to undertake. The need itself is not the call; the call must come from the God who knows our limitation. 'The Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust' (Psalm 103:13-14). It is not God who loads us until we bend or crack with an ulcer, nervous breakdown, heart attack, or stroke. These come from our inner compulsions coupled with the pressure of circumstances.

Charles Hummel